The New Orleans Pelicans have sold toughness, accountability, and defense as franchise pillars for most of Trey Murphy III and Zion Williamson's careers. Yet, despite having NBA All-Defense dynamo Herb Jones, those promises have too often given way to missed rotations, easy paint touches, and generally lackadaisical transition play. Hired to oversee a cultural reset using a mostly unchanged roster, Jamahl Mosley is not pretending those traits vanished overnight.
After months of film sessions and hours of on-court work devoted to defense, Mosley and assistant Dale Osbourne gave essentially the same early evaluation. The Pelicans are still learning to play with a winning pride, partly because they've gotten away with losing traits far too often. That's paraphrasing, but Osbourne made that clear to ClutchPoints while speaking at a Bossier Parish Community College coaching clinic, and Mosley reinforced the point with a C- grade after a recent practice at St. Augustine High.
That honesty and community outreach matter because the Zion Williamson-led Pelicans can no longer talk their way around the skepticism. They cannot start the season colder than the Media Day press room, which almost every player mentioned. Actions must speak louder around the Smoothie King Center. Forget the recently removed ‘compassion' and ‘joy' posters at the practice facility; wins must follow sooner rather than later, and everyone should know it by now.
Pelicans pursue perfect practices
It's an exciting scene for everyone but the players. Mosley at midcourt, arms crossed, watching a defensive drill…again.
“You can ask about the offense all you want,” Mosley began to open his introductory press conference. “We’re going to do it defensively. We’re not going to skip steps.”
Those words have become the operating manual.
“One thing I’ve noticed about Mosley is that he’s really, really into the details,” Murphy III said at Media Day. “If we are not doing a drill right, he’s going to make sure we do it over and do it right. If you keep the rope tight, then whenever you’re ready to pull it, it’s ready.”
Jones is one of the league’s premier perimeter stoppers, and Murphy III has the ability to be an All-Star disruptor by all accounts. Williamson was a great weak-side helper at Duke. However, the rope is getting frayed at the end. Last season, the Pelicans ranked near the bottom of the league in defensive efficiency, a symptom of a broader malaise that Willie Green could never cure.
Derik Queen alluded to that particular problem after a recent practice, but there is no point in looking back. That's a losing mentality, just look at the team's record for proof. Part of the habit-breaking now is consistent, drive-it-home messaging from Mosley's staff.
“Do it right, we keep it light; Do it wrong, we stay long. Can’t just go through the motions in shell drill, and NBA players hate the shell drill,” Osbourne laughed at BPCC's clinic. “They've been doing it for so long, it can be boring and tiring, so they hate it.”
Why not move on if they hate it? Why risk the friction this early? Well, knowing what to do is not the same as doing what needs to be done.
“If they don’t learn it to where it works in a game, we haven’t taught, and that’s the job of a coach,” Osbourne replied. “Can’t run from it.”
Williamson, Murphy III, Jones, Saddiq Bey, Jordan Poole, and Dejounte Murray cannot run from the challenge either. Ownership has already changed out the front office and coaching staff multiple times. There is only one variable left to nix from this recipe if losses keep piling up.
Jamahl Mosley's new strategy
Mosley has started with clear communication, a clean slate, and fresh ideas. Queen was not the only player to speak on the new environment in the building. The biggest difference that should be immediately obvious to those watching from outside is what the Pelicans do after a shot.
The Orlando Magic were directed to run a “3 Back” system, meaning three players were retreating as soon as the shot was taken. It will be “All Crash” in New Orleans. Players are to run over the top of elbow defenders to crash the glass and clog up the middle. Offensive rebounding opportunities will no longer be conceded. Put in the work, or come cheer from the bench, basically.
“We got back in Orlando. Now, it's over the top on the shot for the extra possession or to slow down their transition. Make them uncomfortable as soon as they turn,” Osbourne explained. “The opponent should see a one-on-five situation and be very uncomfortable through the shot clock.”
“It’s a sprint game! We are a no middle, no paint team,” he added. “We don’t want to create help; we want to use help. The opponent with the ball needs to feel like it’s one against five. Not seeing an empty paint encouraging a drive. Everyone is expected to be in a gap stance to protect the house. Low Man and Safety principles will be huge. Teaching our middle linebacker the recovery rotations holds it together.”
Osbourne mentioned '13' and '14' coverages, with '13' being used most often. The Pelicans will switch one through three, and maybe allow the four/power forward in on the action, but protecting the paint at all times is the game plan. Saddiq Bey told ClutchPoints he loves the new style, as it reminds him of the Villanova ways, and those ‘Cats win championships.
Article Continues BelowBey will need to show that appreciation for the dirty work consistently. Mosley focused on rebounding to close out opponent possessions.
“We talk about rim protection and finishing possessions out with the rebound. It’s not on just the bigs,” Mosley told ClutchPoints. “I know we put a lot of responsibility on them. The reality is probably 70% of shots, long shots, long rebounds, so that’s on the guards too. And if we’re defending as a team, we got to rebound as a team.”
Highly paid cardio is out. Accountability, bruises, and charges are in! Stop hiding in switches and start living in the gaps.
“No off-ball switching. That’s lazy, selfish defense,” Osbourne stressed. “We are going to man up and not take the easy way out. In our transition defense, you have a man, not your man. Team defense starts on the ball. Just jogging to your man is another example of selfish defense.”
The standard could not be more clearly stated.
“They understand, and they've seen it works,” Mosley said. “There’s going to be a level of physicality that we hold with each team. There’s the discipline that we have on the defensive end, the structure that we have, the positioning, the ability to communicate at a high level; those are things that are key for us to be successful. And so these guys have all bought in. There’s a system they know how to hold each other accountable night in and night out because you have a responsibility; there are great players in this league, and you aren’t shutting them all down, so your ability to make it difficult for them night in and night out is a five-man job.”
Murphy III's new muscle will come in handy, especially if Yves Missi cannot stay out of foul trouble, and the Pelicans do expect to foul. Osbourne joked about the four true outcomes of an opponent's drive.
“Charge, jump, block, or see the lights.”
Only dumb fouls will get a reprimand. Hard fouls are fine. The coaches cannot tell players to get physical and then complain about fouls. Leaving bruises is perhaps the only real way to win back the skeptics after all. It's the only way, really, because there are no answers for some NBA MVP obstacles.
“We want to be a physical team. Want bigs making early contact to throw off screeners,” Osbourne admitted. “(The Pelicans) want help/weak side and off-ball defenders rerouting opponents trying to get to spots. We want them uncomfortable the whole game. But how are you going to guard (Nikola Jokic)? Well, pray.”
Fight for the floor. Protect the paint. Leave a bruise or two. Mosley has repeatedly emphasized representing the city, not simply working in it. How the players respond in the first 20 games will speak volumes. If all goes to plan, expect far more highly competitive rim challenges, drawing opponent rim field goal percentages down. Missi's blocks and charges drawn numbers should go up. The staff's Defensive Player of the Year projections only add fuel to that fire.
Not that any more motivation should be needed. Everyone is living their dream despite the negative narratives.
“Giving back to the game, the city that you’re in, that you represent every time you touch the floor, you have to be a representative of what this culture means, what the city is, and that’s so important,” Mosley emphasized. “The game of basketball has given us all so much, so giving back to it is important. You talked about Osborne talking to the local coaches. Just being able to give more back to the game, show how we do things here, it's just being inclusive about all of it.”
Fans have heard all the preseason politicking speeches before. Jrue Holiday was pitched as an MVP candidate at one point. So, it may not mean much now, but it sounds like the Pelicans might have finally found the right coach for Williamson and Murphy III. At least everyone in the BPCC and St. Augustine gyms appreciated getting to see the blueprint before the season started, if only to know who to blame later.
When it comes to building a better basketball culture in the region, that counts as progress. As for putting a respectable, winning product on the court? Well, tune into the first preseason game versus the Oklahoma City Thunder. The style changes should get those same fans excited for opening night against the trash-talking Indiana Pacers.